Dispensing tube collapsible by bellows-like action



June 29, 1954 B. ROBBINS 2,682,355

DISPENSING TUBE COLLAPSIBLE BY BELLOWS-LIKE ACTION Filed Oct. 23, 1951 S& INVENTOR.

ERNEST B EcBi-IME Patented June 29, 1954 DISPENSING TUBE COLLAPSIBLE BYBELLOWS- LIKE ACTION Ernest B. Robbins, Stratton, Maine ApplicationOctober-23, 1951, Serial No. 252,691

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to dispensing tubes-or containers forsuch materials as tooth-paste, shaving cream or the like. Moreparticularly,

the invention has reference to a contai-neriallingwithin thecategory-referredto, and formed to -a bellows-like configuration tofacilitate the -dis- 'pensing of the contents.

Conventionall pastes, compoundscreams-orliquids contained withindispensing tubes are merchandised in metallic tubes having collapsibleside walls. Dispensing containers soiormed have certain deficiencies,however, in that they tend to become wrinkled, punctured, and unsightly.

Further, the material cf'which they are formed is relatively expensiveand tends to become critical during times of national stress.

The main object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provideadispensing containercollapsible by a bellows-like action, so as toforce the contents thereof from its discharge orifice with considerableease.

Another important object'is to provide a bellows-like dispenser whichcan be formed wholly from plastic or other non-critical materials.

In carrying out a still further object'oi'the invention, I propose toprovide a container of the type stated which will be attractive inappearance at all times, and will be so formed as toeIiminate or atleast materially reduce the possibility'of its:

being accidentally punctured Other objects will appear from the:following description, the claims appended thereto, and fromtheannexeddrawings, in which like reference characters designate like partsthroughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a dispensing container formed inaccordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view on line 5--5 of Figure 2 showinga preferred form of valve; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the container formed in accordancewith the present invention includes a pair of identically shaped,oppositely arranged, main walls [2. These are formed, preferably, fromflat, relatively stiff pieces of plastic or other material havingsimilar characteristics.

Each of the main walls i2 is of generally elongated, rectangularconfigurationand has its opposite ends cutoff squarely, that is, atrightangles to the opposite longitudinal edges of the wall.

Secured to and extending between the longitudi'naliedges of therespective main walls LZ' are collapsible walls generally designated it.

Each collapsible wall M is identical to the other, and hence only onewill be described herein. The collapsible wall, in this connection, isformed from a piece of plastic material which is thin and 1 flexible andYet strong, to resist its being accidentally punctured. Each pieceisgenerally rectangular inblank, and is formed with an outer fold. it.extending. longitudinally and centrally thereof and fully from end toend of the piece. Inner folds it are disposed at 0pposite sides of themain, centrally disposed, outer fold line It, and .are spacedequidistantly from said center fold line and the respective longitudinaledges of the collapsible'wall. As may be noted from Figure 3, the innerfolds l8 preferably converge along curving lines, in the direction ofthe bottom of the container. Adjacent the upper ends ofthe collapsiblewalls, the inner fold lines merge into upwardly diverging end folds 2iThe respective longitudinal edges of each collapsible wall. it arebonded either by heat or glue with the longitudinal edges of the mainwalls [2, said main walls being so spaced apart asto collapse the wallsit slightly along the lines of their respective folds, as can be readilynoted from Figure 4.

Extending transversely of the lower end of the dispenser, and sealablyclinching the main and collapsible walls, is a clamp member 22 of U-shaped cross sectional configuration.

At the head end of the dispenser, a top wall 24 is provided, said topwall being of any desired shape and being tapered upwardly in thepresent instance. The top wall, at its lower end, is secured fixedly inany suitable manner to the upper end edges of the respective main andcollapsible walls [2 and I4.

Formed integrally with the top wall 24, and disposed centrally thereof,is an upstanding neck 26, having a bore extending therethrough andcommunicating with the interior of the dispenser. The neck 26 can, ifdesired, be externally threaded to receive a conventional closure capsuch as is generally provided upon collapsible tubes. This is believedsufiiciently obvious as not to require special illustration herein.

Alternatively, the dispensing of the contents can be controlled throughthe provision of a transverse bore 28 formed in the neck 26, andcommunicating with the longitudinal bore formed in said neck. Thetransverse bore 28 receives the shank 30 of a key having at one end ahandle 32. The shank 30 can project beyond the opposite ends of thetransverse bore 28 if desired, but in the present instance, the shankterminates at one end flush with the surface of the neck 26.

Formed in the shank 3B is a transversely extended passage 34, which isadapted to be brought into registration with the longitudinal bore ofthe neck 26, when the handle 32 is rotated 90 degrees in one direction.Further rotation of the handle 32 90 degrees in either direction againshifts the shank to a position in which the passage 34 thereof is out ofregistration with the longitudinal bore of the neck 26, so as to sealthe dispensing container until the next use thereof.

The valve illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 might be preferable in someinstances where the contents of the container are of relatively lowviscosity, as would be the case, for example, with some cements.

In use, the valve is moved to the open position thereof, and the usergrasps the body of the dispensing container, applying a light pressureagainst the main walls I2 toward one another. The stiff material ofwhich the main wall is formed distributes the pressure evenly over theentire length of the tube. This is in contrast to the operation ofconventionally formed collapsible tubes, wherein the pressure applied tothe walls of the tubes is usually retained at or in the immediatevicinity of the location where the fingers are exerting their pressure.

The manner of operation of the dispensing container formed in accordancewith the pres ent invention results in a half emptied tube being asattractive as one which is completely filled, the only differencebetween a tube which has been partially emptied and one which is fullresiding in the fact that the collapsible side walls are foldedpartially into the center of the tube.

Because the side walls fold into the center area of the tube, while itis being emptied, it is possible to force substantially all of the tubecontents therefrom, with considerable ease.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined tothe specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may beutilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the inventionto be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated anddescribed, since such construction is only intended to be illustrativeof the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carryout said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehendsany minor changes in construction that may be permitted within the scopeof the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A dispensing container for fiuid material, said container having a headend and a foot end and comprising a pair of rectangular, flat,oppositely arranged ma-in Walls converging toward the foot end of thecontainer and formed of a stiff substance for bodily movement thereoftoward one another responsive to the application of pressure thereto bya user; bellows-like collapsible walls each disposed at one side of thecontainerand each having its opposite longitudinal edges adhesivelysecured to the main wall longitudinal edges at the same side of thecontainer, each collapsible wall being formed separately from the mainwalls from material characterized by its inherent flexibility ascompared to the stiffness of the material of which the main walls areformed, each collapsible wall having an outwardly directed foldextending longitudinally and centrally thereof and a pair of inner foldsdirected inwardly of the container and merged into the first fold atopposite sides of the first fold, the several folds being extendedlongitudinally of the container in substantially parallel relation toreduce the interior crosssectional area of the container when the mainwalls are pressed toward each other and thereby force said material outof the container, the respective folds of the collapsible Walls beingfully collapsed at the foot end of the container and being engaged byand between the converging ends of the main walls; a clamp extendingtransversely of the foot end of the container and formed to a U-shapedcross sectional configuration to receive and grip the engaging main andcollapsible walls at the foot end of the container; a rigid end wall atthe head end of the container secured peripherally to the main andcollapsible walls and having a dispensing opening through which saidmaterial is forced, the rigid end wall retaining the collapsible wallsin a substantially fully unfolded condition at the head end of thecontainer; and valve means mounted upon the end wall and associated withthe dispensing opening for controlling the flow of materialtherethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,147,349 Piquerez M Feb. 14, 1939 2,400,716 Sattler May 21,1946

